"Connor!!" You screamed, running to his side and collapsing against the bed. You were sobbing now, barely able to contain everything you felt to see him again. "Connor... Connor..." You sobbed, moving your head close to his. You shook his shoulders slightly, but he did not wake up. "Connor...?"
That was when you noticed it. He wasn't breathing.
You moved your head back to take a good look at him. His face seemed peaceful, as if he was only sleeping. But there was no movement on his body. No fluttering of his eyes. No movement of his mouth. Your eyes trailed from his face down his body, half covered by the white sheets. You hesitantly reached a hand towards it; and moved it away.
You let out a gasp, backing away, until you collided with something solid; the RK900. Horror flooded your body at the sight before you.
Everything about him seemed normal for an android. Everything except the empty cavity in his chest where his heart should be. Wires were placed on areas in his abdomen, connecting him to various machines near the bed. But you weren't sure what they could possibly be doing for him at this point.
You were hyperventilating now. You were too late. You moved towards him again and pulled his face, his unmoving unblinking face, into your arms. Your tears ran down your cheeks and left droplets on his synthetic skin.
"Connor!! Connor!!!" You shook with fear and horror. You thought of all the time you had spent together. The things you had said to him. All the things you wished you could say now. But it was too late. No matter what you said now, those words wouldn't reach him.
"Open your eyes!!" You pleaded. "Please, open your eyes!!" Your hand on his face became more desperate, as you tried to bring life back to him. "Connor!! Please!!!" You looked at his peaceful expression. "You told me they wouldn't control you anymore!! You told me we would stay together! You weren't supposed to... to die like this!!" You screamed. You shook his shoulders, not wanting to accept the truth of it all. "Please come back!!! Don't leave me like this!!" You leaned your head on his chest, above the empty cavity, and sobbed.
"That's enough," You heard a voice behind you. "It's too late. He's gone."
After a moment, you looked up, glaring at the RK900.
"You..." You growled, filling anger welling inside you. "Did you know about this?!"
"If I had known, I wouldn't have brought you here..." His voice trailed off, as his eyes moved to Connor's body.
"W-We have to get him out of here!!" You gasped, trying to pull Connor from the bed. "It's not safe here..."
"[F/N]..."
"We'll take him to the elevator... o-or maybe the thiriumdionisis can help him..."
"Just stop..."
"We can still save him right? There has to be some way, I know there is..."
"[F/N], calm down." The RK900 said, grabbing your shoulders. You felt fresh tears well in your eyes. The RK900 continued speaking. "You need to leave. Before Kamski finds out you are down here." The RK900 nodded his head towards Connor. "He hasn't been like this for long, I can tell. An android will be here soon, and if you get caught..."
"No!!" You screamed, shaking your body out of his grip and moving back to Connor's side. You took Connor's unmoving hand. "I won't ever leave him again." You lay your head on his chest again, wrapping your arms around his body. "If he will die here... then we will die here together."
The RK900 didn't say anything for a long time. You stayed there with Connor, just as you said you would, barely breathing yourself. You were beginning to wonder if the RK900 had decided to leave. That was fine. You would stay here with Connor. You gripped his hand in yours, but there was no more warmth in it. Memories that you had long forgotten came back to you.
"They are just machines [F/N]..." Connor spoke in your memory. "Designed to accomplish a task."
"But what about you Connor?"
"I am also just a machine... Just like them..."
You gripped his hand harder in yours, memories flooding through your mind. You remembered a time when Connor had held your hand too.
"Connor... why are you...?"
"You did this for me once before too... didn't you?" He said quietly, gripping your hand in his own. "Stay calm. Remember what I told you in training?"
"You told me to keep calm and focused when I'm dealing with deviants..."
"Yes... Don't worry so much..."
"Easy for you to say..."
"You know..." He said very quietly. He pulled his hand away, "Even... even androids... even we get..."
You still wondered what he had wanted to tell you back then. But his voice had trailed off, and when you had questioned him, he only shook his head. Even androids got what? Scared... lonely? You would never know now. You didn't need to think of the things he had taught you in training; about being calm when dealing with deviants. You would never fight again.
It didn't matter if you were Ra9. It didn't matter if he was an android, and you were a human. Well, mostly human anyway. None of it mattered or changed anything. This was the end. And as you closed your eyes, resolve washed over you.
---
The RK900 silently watched you as you lay against Connor. His internal clock told him that only ten minutes had passed, and yet it seemed like an eternity.
He could turn and leave you there, just as you had requested. Or he could force you onto your feet, and drag you with him if he had to. But as he watched you, holding Connor's hand, another thought crossed his mind. A way that you could be saved... and a way Connor could be saved too.
But he didn't want to do it. Because doing the final option would cost him his own life. He didn't want to die. He felt that fear as any deviant would. He wasn't sure what there was for androids. Was there anything at all? A void? Eternal darkness? What was death for a deviant? He would never truly know until it happened.
As he watched Connor's motionless body in front of him, he felt the emotions of his predecessor. The time he had spent with you, by your side. It was a kind of 'love' that no android could ever imagine or deserve to feel. They were only machines. Yet here, in this moment, you wept over his body as if he was human and so much more.
The RK900 knew that he could stay in this form. He could drag you with him, and force you to stay with him. You could escape together, just as he had planned, and he knew he could succeed. But you could never love him like this. You would not shed tears for him as you shed for his predecessor.
As he watched you, he came to a decision; And he realized that it was the only true decision he could make.
"Move out of the way."
Your body twitched at the sound of his voice. At first you didn't move. Then you slowly raised your head to look at him.
"Move out of the way." The RK900 repeated. He was unbuttoning his shirt revealing his synthetic skin underneath.
"W-What are you...?" You started. The RK900 gently picked up a scalpel off the tray near the bed. You winced as without hesitation, he drove the scalpel into his chest. The RK900 didn't even seem to be in pain. Without thinking, you ran towards him, grabbing his wrist.
"Stop it!!"
"I'm doing this for you," He replied simply. He took your hand, quite gently which surprised you, and pushed it away.
"Don't do this!! Y-You'll die..."
"I know..." The RK900 whispered. "I know that this me will die... but it's okay. Another me is over there; And you love that version of me. This is the only way I can save him... and the only way I can save myself."
"Surely there's something else we can do!!"
"No! There is nothing," He said harshly. Then his face softened. He reached out a hand stained with thirium, and touched your face. "You know, even with his memories, even with his thoughts, and feelings... the one who fell in love with you was me on my own. I'm happy to die knowing that." And with those words, the RK900 reached into his chest and pulled out his own synthetic heart.
He winced, his body beginning to shake. But he still forced himself to move towards the bed, and he gently placed the heart in Connor's chest cavity. With he struggle of the movement, he collapsed against the bed. You keeled beside him. The RK900 held a hand to his chest. You hesitantly placed your hand over his.
"Are you sure this is what you want?!" You whispered.
"No..." The RK900 said weakly. He was smiling. "No, it's not what I want... but it's what you want. So I'll do it anyway." You opened your mouth to speak but the RK900 silenced you with a wave of his hand. He forced his body up and grabbed Connor's hand that was lying over the bed. The synthetic skin on the RK900's hand disappeared as he closed his eyes.
"Y-You're doing a transfer?"
"I'm just copying my memories. They were originally from him after all."
Once the transfer was complete, the RK900 slumped to the floor again.
"I'm sorry... I'm so sorry..." You whispered, trying to hold the wound together, even knowing it would not make a difference. The RK900 breathed shallowly.
"You must listen," He said, determination in his voice. "You have to understand that this is all we can do for him. If my predecessor doesn't wake up... well... he never will." You moved to interrupt him, but he took your hand, silencing you. You felt something metallic clasped in his fist. Upon closer inspection, you realized he had passed you a syringe.
"Thiriumdionisis..." You whispered.
"If no other components are missing or completely destroyed, this will revive him. It's my last one... don't waste it." The RK900 breathed heavily for a moment before continuing.
"Go to the labs on Floor -41. Take the chip from my wrist, that's the only way you'll be able to get in. Take the drugs... you can revive the injured androids from Jericho, or at least, most of them." With a weak hand, he brushed your hair off your face. With a steady gaze, he looked you straight in the eyes. "Afterwards, go to Floor -49. Finish what my predecessor started." He smiled weakly as you nodded in understanding.
"I've been calculating possible ways for you both to escape in my mind, and this is the only one with the highest probability. Use large numbers to your advantage. Your abilities are impressive, you can still win."
"B-But what about you...?"
"You... You will leave me..." He rasped. "Once I die, this will be nothing more than a... a shell. The most important thing is that you survive this... Ra9..." And with those final words, the RK900 took a few more gasping breaths before his eyes glazed over.
"I'm so sorry..." You whispered. His eyes were still open, but they were no longer looking at you. You gently closed them, and leaned him against the wall. "Thank you..."
Then you stood and moved to Connor's side. You eyed the syringe still clasped in your hand. Slowly and cautiously, you raised it to Connor's arm.